Clinton smooths path for biotechnology

IN a move designed to give the American biotechnology industry a much needed fillip, the US Patent and Trademark Office has decided to relax the requirements for granting patents to drugs produced by biotechnology.

Under US patent law, an invention must be shown to be "useful" before it can be granted a patent. In the case of drugs produced by biotechnology, the PTO has insisted that "usefulness" could be proved only by conducting expensive clinical trials in humans. Under the new rules, companies or researchers can apply for a patent based on the results of in vitro tests or tests on animals, which are quicker and cheaper.

The change will remove a major obstacle to the development of commercial products, say industry officials. Under the old rules, biotechnologists were caught in an impossible position. Before they could apply for a patent, they had to conduct clinical trials. But until the ...

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